Taa Wongbe Got It Wrong, Over 70% of Liberians are not Farmers

In Summary:

• A Nimba County Lawmaker claims 70% of Liberians are farmers as he aimed to support a recent Executive Order restricting the export of unprocessed rubber

• However, relevant data published by LISGIS, World Bank and other major actors of the agriculture sectors show otherwise

• We checked but found no evidence to back Representative Taa Wongbe’s assertion about the percentage of Liberians who are farmers

On August 2, Nimba County District #9 Representative, Taa Wongbe, claimed in a Facebook post that over 70% of Liberians are farmers. Hon. Wongbe made this claim after President Joseph Boakai issued Executive Order #151 to restrict the export of unprocessed rubber and promote domestic industrialization.

He was making a case in support of the Executive Order, which he said “is not just about rubber but about creating jobs, rural development, and giving power back to the Liberian people – especially farmers, who make up the majority.”

The claim

Excerpt from Rep. Taa’s post reads: “This isn’t about politics; it’s about progress. With over 70% of Liberians being farmers, and my district is no different and even higher, I see President Boakai’s Executive Order as a game changer and a positive step for Liberia’s economic future.”

Rating Justification

To fact-check this claim, we first contacted Rep. Taa for the source of his claim, but he has not responded to our inquiry. We will update this report if he does.

We then obtained and reviewed the 2022 Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) report. LIGIS is the government agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and publishing official statistics in Liberia. It conducts national censuses and surveys to inform development planning, policymaking, and governance.

LISGIS does not provide a direct individual-level definition of a “farmer”. Instead, it defines an “agricultural household” as a family unit where at least one member is involved in agricultural activities as a source of their livelihood or income.

Also, according to LISGIS, a “household” is a person or group of persons who USUALLY SLEEP in the same dwelling and take their MEALS TOGETHER, recognize the same person(s) as their head.  On the other hand, a population is the total number of individuals in a country.

LISGIS report on agricultural households shows that “the total size of the agricultural household heads was 359,075, constituting 30.2 per cent of the total national household. On the other hand, non-agricultural households (families) that do not engage in any farming activities for income or livelihood stood at 69.8 percent.

The percentages (30.2% and 69.8%) are based on the total number of households counted in the country during the 2022 census. This represents the entire population of households but DOES NOT represent the total population of Liberia. It represents the breakdown of households, not individuals.

We also found and reviewed the Liberia Agriculture Census 2024 (LAC-2024) conducted by LISGIS in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, with support from FAO, the World Bank, and IFAD. This census generated credible nationwide agricultural data for policy and planning by following international standards and rigorous digital data collection methods.

Key finding from the LAC-2024 states that “there are about 338,492 agricultural households in Liberia,” which constitutes approximately 24.77% of the agriculture households of the country.

Further search found a September 14 2023 publication by the World Bank Blogs, which draws on data and research to inform policy, reports that agriculture is a key sector in Liberia and a source of income for over 70% of the population. This does not mean that over 70% of the population are actively, full-time farmers in the traditional sense of farming.

A similar figure is mentioned in a January 2022 World Bank Report titled: Improving Agricultural Service Delivery in Liberia, a diagnostic study that evaluates the country’s agricultural systems and offers policy recommendations to enhance productivity, farmer support, and institutional performance. It was authored by the World Bank Group, in collaboration with Liberia’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and its Department of Regional Development, Research & Extension (DRDRE), and the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI). This report indicates that Agricultural production constitutes the most important livelihood for the average Liberian, involving more than 70 percent of the population.

According to the Cambridge dictionary, livelihood is the way someone earns the income needed to pay or have for food, a place to live, clothing, etc.

Conclusion

Based on these findings, we conclude that the claim made by Nimba County District #9 Representative Taa Wongbe that over 70% of Liberians are farmers is incorrect.

According to a 2022 report by LISGIS, there are about 30.2 percent of agricultural households in Liberia.

Also, a 2024 report by the Liberia Agriculture Census 2024 (LAC-2024) conducted by LISGIS in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, with support from FAO, the World Bank, and IFAD states that “there are about 338,492 agricultural households in Liberia,” constituting approximately 24.77% of Liberia’s agricultural household’s population.

While some international institutions like the World Bank did mention the 70 percent he cited, it does not indicate that “over 70 percent of Liberians are farmers.” Instead, it states that “agricultural production constitutes the most important livelihood for the average Liberia – more than 70 percent of the population.